The 100 most anticipated games of 2011

60 - Brink (PS3, 360, PC)

As they say in Japan, “Brink and you’ll miss it!” Sorry, that was racist. Know what’s not racist, though? Splash Damage’s upcoming FPS, Brink, that’s what. If you’ve been lax about refreshing GR the doctor-recommended 37 times per day, you may not know that Brink is a uniquely-styled shooter full of awesome new ideas. But now you do (thank us later).

59 - Darkspore (PC)

Honestly, Darkspore had us at “sci-fi Diablo clone”. But the more we learn about how customizable your squad of characters are – there are thousands of body parts, weapons, and armor bits to collect – and about how their elementally-themed attacks can complement one another, the more our desire grows.

58 - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

If it weren’t for the various tweaks and enhancements, this would be a pixel-for-pixel remake of the SNES classic that defined the Strategy RPG genre. Turn-based combat on a gridded warzone has never been executed more lavishly or meticulously.

57 - Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (PS3, 360, PC)

This is not the GRAW you played in 2006 and 2007. In an attempt to win over fans of Halo and Call of Duty, the developers have quickened the pace and exaggerated the technology. Expect invisibility suits, electromagnetic shields, shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, brutal takedown moves… and hope that the strategic planning which first made the series famous isn't completely lost in the action-packed frenzy.

56 - The Witness (PS3, 360, PC)

Frankly, we have no bloody clue what this one’s all about, but we want to play it ASAP. Why? Because it’s avante-dev Jonathon Blow’s follow-up to his own Braid. And Braid is ever so slightly incredible. A first-person puzzler with shades of Myst (but no doubt far more left-field and experimental), it will probably come with swathes of arty expression, but like Braid, no doubt a stack of meaty gameplay for those turned off by that kind of stuff.

55 - DiRT 3 (PS3, 360, PC)

Colin McRae's name is sadly absent at last, but his legacy is not. No other racing game is as detailed or impressive as DiRT 2… and this uses a brand new version of that game's engine. Gymkhana show-off mode, better rallying… could potentially be the best racer of the entire generation.

54 - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3, 360)

A captivating, “cell-shaded, but not really” graphical style. Dreamlike visual imagery. And a metaphysical plotline about a man fighting to subdue renegade angels before God floods the Earth. It all adds up to the aggressively bizarre El Shaddai. It’s too soon to tell if the result will be good or bad, but we guarantee it’ll be memorable.

53 - Valkyria Chronicles III (PSP)

Now that we've resigned ourselves to accepting another Valkyria Chronicles on PSP, the third entry is looking quite good, perhaps even better than Valkyria Chronicles II (which was a surprisingly worthy successor to first despite our initial horror). Throwing out the schoolyard setting in favor of a decidedly darker vibe, VC3 definitely won't be inspiring any rumors that it contains a dating sim element.

52 - Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution (PC)

The upcoming expansion pack for Dawn of War II is as good a reason as any to revisit the excellent RTS. For players who prefer to micro-manage a more ‘classic’ army, Retribution introduces the Imperial Guard as a new playable faction. We’re also looking forward to the new singleplayer campaign, which will take players through a Space Hulk, an abandoned starship overrun by Tyranids.

51 - Mario Kart 3DS (3DS)

Another Nintendo platform, another Mario Kart. Our initial reaction was to yawn and move on, but then we remembered how addicting and thorough Mario Kart DS was and assume this new version should be similarly awesome. If Nintendo can make the online experience easier, and basically ignore Mario Kart Wii altogether, we’re in.